


I Hope this Isn't a Bad Time?

by Writerleft



Series: Comes Marching Home [65]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: 201 AG, Domestic, F/F, Fluff, Korrasami Week 2017, Married Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-17
Updated: 2017-09-17
Packaged: 2018-12-30 21:01:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,165
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12117162
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Writerleft/pseuds/Writerleft
Summary: An unexpected visitor asks the Satos for some assistance...





	I Hope this Isn't a Bad Time?

Korra was covered in rice flour when a knock came at the door. The sticky-bun dough was particularly sticky this time around—maybe her experiment with Pema's recipe wasn't the best idea? “Sparks! Do you mind getting that? I'm kinda... occupied!”

“Sure thing,” Asami said, stepping out of her office a moment later, a pencil tucked behind her ear, just above her thin-framed glasses. Just as she'd gotten over _that_ assault on her vanity, a streak of gray had appeared in her hair—concentrated, near her part. 

Asami paused on her way to the door, crossing her arms at her. “What's that look on your face?”

Caught. Korra grinned. “Just enjoying my luck that my wife is getting even more beautiful as we age together.”

Asami thought that over—aging wasn't something she liked to think about, but how could she take that compliment badly? “Something else we have in common,” Asami finally smirked, just as whoever-it-was knocked again. “Coming!”

Once Asami was out of sight, the spell was broken, enough that Korra could return to her cooking. “Oh, Yul-Ri!” Asami greeted, and the pause and sound of movement Korra knew meant a hug. “Is Mian with you?”

“Uh, no,” Mian's boyfriend said, appearing with Asami in the foyer. 

“Hi, kiddo!” Korra called, a little disappointed her daughter hadn't come, but then... why hadn't she? 

“Korra,” he greeted, the 'Avatar' finally dropped but the half-bow implying it anyway. “I hope this isn't a bad time?” 

“Well, normally I'd expect you to make an appointment...” Korra said, smirking at him. 

Asami snorted. “Would you like some tea?”

“No, thank you,” Yul-Ri said, and Korra frowned. Was he... nervous? The desert tribesman was certainly finding their floor more interesting than he usually did. 

Korra flicked her eyes to Asami, but she'd seen it too. “Well, have a seat,” Asami said, guiding him to the couch by the balcony, then sitting on the plush chair diagonal to it. “Not that you aren't welcome to visit, but something tells me there's something you'd like to discuss...”

He chuckled, running a hand through his ruddy hair. “I should've known you'd see right through me. Spirits... I've gone through this in my head about a hundred times...”

Korra got her hands clean in record time. The sticky buns could wait. “Can I guess?” she asked, sweeping into the room.

Asami  _tsk_ ed, reaching up from her plush chair to lightly slap her arm. “It's the sort of thing you have to say, Korra.” 

“You... you both know?!” Yul-Ri asked, leaning back, eyes wide and skin blanched. 

Korra shook her head, smiling. Yul-Ri was normally so unflappable, but this was as, well,  _flapped_ as she'd ever seen him. “Well, we know you've been dating our daughter for a couple of years, now. Seriously enough that you live together.” 

“Korra,” Asami warned, but she was smiling, her fingers twining through Korra's. “Let him talk. He came all this way to do it, after all.” 

Yul-Ri swallowed. “Well... yeah, yeah I'm going to ask your daughter to marry me.”

Asami pressed her free hand against her chest, leaning forward happily. Korra smiled, leaning over Asami's head to kiss it—right in the gray streak. “And you came to ask for our blessing?” Asami asked.

“What? No,” Yul-Ri said. “We've discussed it already, we're doing it, we just have to actually do the proposal and wedding part.”

Asami snickered, giving Korra a fond look. “Don't worry about it. This family kinda skips around on some of those details...” She turned, looking at the massive narwhalrus horn dominating the wall above Yul-Ri. “But it worked out.”

He glanced back, nodding. He'd heard the story behind it. Probably a few times. At least once from Korra herself, while she was drunk... “Well... I'd appreciate your approval, and I definitely don't want to be on your bad sides, but we're the ones getting married. This is just letting you know.”

Korra sat on the arm rest, settling her and Asami's clasped hands in her lap. “Well, standing up to the two of us is pretty impressive. That's a good way to earn our blessing, wouldn't you say, Asami?”

“I dunno...” Asami said, clearly intoning sarcasm, “he's a pretty smart individual, Korra. Could be that was his gamble.” 

“Ooh, daring! I like him even more!” 

Yul-Ri laughed, sitting forward on the couch. “Your daughter is amazing, and she makes me feel amazing too. I... like I said, we've talked about it, but I'm still nervous she'll change her mind.”

Asami leaned over, touching his leg. “She's rather taken with you. Has been since that photo shoot where you met. You'll do well, and for what it's worth, I'll be thrilled to have you as a son in law.”

He grinned, clearly not sure what to do with his hands. “I... thank you. Just... yeah.”

Korra laughed, standing up, swooping over, and lifting him up into a platypus bear hug. “Consider this the official Avatar seal of approval!”

“Ggakg,” Yul-Ri squirmed, defenseless within a mighty Korra hug. 

Asami was laughing as she stood, and guided Korra to set Yul-Ri in the chair she'd just vacated. The two of them then settled, hands clasped, onto the couch.

“So, if you didn't want out blessing,” Asami asked, her tone all business, “what brought you over?” 

Korra... wasn't sure what to do with herself. Her little girl was getting  _married_ ? It was a good match and she was thrilled and  _oh gosh the wedding!_ Somehow this was more important to her in an instant than her own wedding had ever been. She had to call her parents! She had to call Zin! She had to call—

Asami kissed her.

Korra moaned in surprised, then relaxed into it, sighing, feeling the tension leave her shoulders.

Asami pulled back, eyes intent. “You calm?”

“Hmmmm yeah,” she said, dreamily. Still excited for their daughter, but much, much more grounded in the present, thank you. 

Asami turned back toward Yul-Ri, as if nothing had happened. She raised an eyebrow, as if to ask, should I repeat the question?

Yul-Ri cleared his throat. “Well... that there is actually kinda what I wanted to ask about. You two are... just such a perfect couple. My parents are divorced, a few times in my dad's case. I just... I'd like advice, on how to make it work. How to make it last.”

“And so you ask your fiance's parents?” Korra asked. “I mean, don't get us wrong, we're pretty great, but we're making it up as we go.” 

“Inspired improvisation,” Asami agreed. “With, perhaps, some iterative analysis on one of our parts.” 

“Hey!” 

Asami winked at her.

Korra stuck out her tongue.

“You two... you're really cute, you know that?” Yul-Ri said. “I mean, the whole city takes it as a given you're the perfect couple. You don't even fight.” 

“Oh, we fight,” they both said at once. “We're fighting right now,” Korra continued. 

Asami pinched her. Korra jumped, then saw the flat look on her face, and said, “Oops.”

Yul-Ri glanced between them. “You... what about this is fighting?”

“We're _having_ a fight,” Asami explained, letting go of Korra's hand but sticking right on her side. “We both learned, years ago, that when we get verbally angry, the arguments only escalate.”

“But if we hold it in, it gets... _bad_ ,” Korra said, staring away for a moment, decades ago. Seeing, just a flash, just an echo, of Asami stepping out of her airship after those six months. They may still fight from time to time, but that remained, and hopefully always would be, The Fight. “We don't want it to get like that again.” 

Asami nodded, fervently agreeing. “So when that seems to happen, we do it over letters instead.”

“...letters?” 

Asami nodded. “Yes. Through the mail.”

“Through the... you live together.” 

Korra chuckled. “Well, sometimes we have to be apart for work. But more than that... the day or two response time gives enough time for us to think, but not enough time for things to fester. And we can act happy and pleasant with each other, knowing that we  _are_ actually communicating about the issue. It takes some of the pressure off.” 

Yul-Ri leaned back, crossing his arms. “That... still sounds a bit silly to me.”

Korra shrugged, but it was Asami that answered, “If you and Mian don't feel safe enough together to act silly, then maybe you should hold off on marriage until you are.”

“Are you saying our daughter is silly?” Korra asked, in mock scandal. 

“No more than you, dear.” 

Yul-Ri was looking between them, hair falling over his eyes in a way that made Korra really appreciate the choice her daughter had made. “I... I can't imagine what you two have to fight about. Every so often I have to step back from my own life and reassure myself that yes, I do personally know the Satos. I'm _marrying_ _into the family_. I mean... sure, I got over my awe and everything, but... if you two fight, what chance to the rest of us have?” 

“The goal isn't to agree _all the time_ ,” Korra said. “What would be the fun in that?” 

“The only way to learn and grow is to be challenged,” Asami said, turning to smile at her wife. 

“You saying I'm challenging?” 

“That _was_ the implication, dear.” 

Korra stuck out her lower lip. Asami kissed it.

Yul-Ri coughed, and they laughed, turning their attention back to him. They were well passed being embarrassed by how awkward it sometimes was for other people when they got so lovey. The world had to deal with it.

“The point is,” Asami continued, “Korra isn't the same woman I married. I'm not the same woman Korra married. But we've grown, and learned so much with each other, and the way we're equal partners in everything... it's allowed us to grow together. Like Republic City and it's vines—they didn't start out intertwined, but now they rely on each other, and each is better for having the other one there. Even if the vines are really stubborn and don't listen sometimes.” 

Korra kept their hands clasped, but shrugged her shoulders. “Well, maybe if the buildings would at least consider trying something new from time to time, they might see the vines' point.”

Yul-Ri fell back in his chair, cackling. “Okay, now I see it.”

Korra smirked at him, while Asami just rolled her eyes. “Just treat our girl as well as you have been, and push back when she's being a brat, and you'll be fine,” Korra said. Asami nodded beside her, and Korra leaned forward with a grin. “And don't be stingy with giving us grandkids, either.”

Korra was winking, but she felt Asami stiffen. Oh, what now?

“I... think it's a little premature to be talking about that,” Yul-Ri choked. Asami grunted agreement, and Korra knew she was in trouble. 

Thankfully, though, jangling came at the door. Shortly thereafter, the door slammed open, and Mian stomped in. “You  _are_ here!” 

“Yeah, babe. Is that a problem?” 

She stalked toward his chair. “I told you not to ask their permission!”

“I didn't!” he insisted, rising to meet her. 

“He really didn't,” Korra insisted, but studied her wife's still features, and started composing her next letter. 

“Did you think that maybe I wanted to be the one to tell them?” Mian was not-quite-shouting, fists at her sides as he interposed herself between him and her moms.

“I... I mean, they'd already figured it out!” he glanced their way, and they were both shaking their heads frantically. “Which is no excuse. Absolutely no excuse.” Korra and Asami nodded. “I just... love you so much, when I think about spending the rest of our lives together, I can't think straight.”

Korra gave that a thumbs up.

“Don't you think I don't know you guys are coaching him!” Mian chided over her shoulder.

Asami chuckled, not quite as mirthful as Korra would've expected though. Yeah, this was going to be SUCH a letter. Probably a few of them. Still, Asami was returning to the jubilant mood: “Zin still doesn't know. You can be the first one to tell him.”

Mian relaxed a little. “That's true.”

Korra stood, holding her arms out. “Aren't you forgetting something, nugget?”

Roll her eyes at the nickname or not, Mian grinned and sprang into the hug. Asami was quickly up and joining in. “So I guess I'm marrying this idiot.”

“Hey!” Asami scolded. “Be nice. You're gonna have to live with him a long time. Don't start with the insults now.”

“Even when I'm mad at him?” Mian asked

“ _Especially_ when you're mad,” Korra insisted, meeting her wife's eyes. 

Asami gave her a gentle nod, a look that said, 'later,' with a flash of 'still love you though.'

Korra gave her a smile— _I never doubted it—_ as she stepped away and clapped her hands together. “So! You two staying for dinner?” 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Doing something a little different for Korrasami Week this year--all the stories are not only going to be part of the Comes Marching Home timeline, they're gonna follow each other in one distinct arc! 
> 
> Tune in tomorrow for the continuation of this one!


End file.
